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International Music Summit (IMS) 2025 by ClaireB

With the theme of Intergenerational Exchange, this year’s 3-day Summit was held from April 23-25, returning once again to the neighbouring Mondrian and Hyde hotels in Cala Llonga. Now in its 16th year, it was the biggest so far, with 1,700+ delegates and more speakers than ever.

That said, the venue was large, spread over 2 hotels which have 2 shared outside pool areas. There was a summit stage inside and one outside above the pool area, plus separate areas for The Brave Space where everyone was welcomed without prejudice and the The Art of Areté space inside by The Bungalow pool which hosted a lot of sessions reflecting their platform of well-being and self-realisation. Plus there was a tech area, a Beatport Base, a Deezer Lounge (with hammocks), an area outside the Indoor Stage with food and drink stands and a large screen where the indoor sessions were broadcast. Inside the Hyde Hotel reception, local radio stations broadcasted during the Summit and there were various live DJ sets by the pool throughout. So, lots going on simultaneously and throughout the 3 days, making it impossible to see and do everything but what follows is a snapshot of the event.

Hyde/Mondrian

Day 1

On Day 1 after swift introductions from IMS co-host Jaguar, with IMS Founders Ben Turner and Danny Whittle, we had the Keynote Introduction on Intergenerational Exchange from visionary label boss and author Elijah, which introduced and set the tone for the next 3 days of the Summit. His colourful yellow slides to accompany his eloquent and engaging delivery, was a great scene setter and provided lots of food for thought to start us off.

Elijah

The next session was the IMS Business Report 2025, presented by MIDiA Research’s Mark Mulligan and which is traditionally delivered at the beginning of the Summit and provides an important overview of where the global electronic music industry is currently and where it is going. The bottom line is that the global electronic music industry has seen solid growth - the industry grew by 6% in 2023 to reach a $12.9 billion global valuation in 2024.

Key takeaways:

We are living in uncertain times and import tariffs with affect people’s ability to spend. Overall there’s a mix of good and bad news.

“2024 was another good year for the global music business, but growth is slowing as streaming matures and live settles into post-boom organic growth rates.��

“A new generation is driving change and resurgence among scenes and genres, with Drum & Bass, Jungle, UKG (and even Trance) on the rise.”

In Ibiza clubs, revenues are up but ticket sales are down, begging the question of whether ticket prices are too high? But, Ibiza is still THE place for summer clubbing.

Afro House is on the rise.

At festivals, electronic artists continue to grow. But kids are on Tik Tok and not going to festivals.

“A new, younger generation of fans and creators are starting to reshape electronic music culture, often claiming long-established genres [Drum & Bass, Jungle, Trance] for themselves, reimagining them and forging their own scenes.”

After the Business Report presentation and it’s subsequent analysis, the parallel sessions in the other spaces got underway.

The official IMS daily recaps were so comprehensive and spot-on that I’m not going to attempt to write my own as I don’t think I can improve on them, so I’m going to provide the links to each of them.

See IMS Day 1 Highlights

There’s also a link in there to download the 35 page IMS Business Report if you’re interested in reading it - it’s slide-based with lots of charts and bullet points so it doesn’t take long to go through it, plus it’s very interesting reading.

I particularly enjoyed the panel Ibiza Queens: Behind the Scenes of Ibiza Nightlife, hosted by Lady of the House, praising many of the influential women in the industry on the island, often working hard behind the scenes in a predominantly male-dominated industry.

I also enjoyed the Keynote Interview between Pete Tong and Martin Ferrer Vega who runs Amnesia and rarely gives interviews, who interestingly was wearing a Joy Division T-shirt. As well as talking about the difficult relationship he has with his father (who he know rents Amnesia from) he talked about Amnesia’s strategy this year to deal with what Pete referred to as “the competition over the road”, meaning the impending opening of UNVRSE. Essentially he said that we don’t follow the rules, we’re a bit eclectic and we put on what we think people will like, but sometimes they don’t. A refreshing approach from what is one of the last Spanish independent clubs on the island, which has to contend with big powerful companies with a lot of money to spend on big name DJs.

Martin Ferrer Vega/Pete Tong

The last session of the day for me was the RA Exchange with Maria May, recipient of the IMS Legends Award in 2025 - the first female recipient and also the youngest person to receive it. She dedicated the award to all the women I’ve worked with and it was very open and inspirational in equal measures, concluding with things such as trust your instincts, make a difference, be kind, be nice to people and see how you can affect change in your inner and wider circles, like ripples from a pebble thrown into water.

Maria May

Day 1 ended on a very positive note followed by networking drinks around the pool provided by Ultra Records.

Day 2

See IMS Day 2 Highlights

Most of my day was spent at the Outdoor Stage and popping into the The Art of Areté space because it was peaceful and tranquil and I found many of the talks were interesting.

Art of Areté

I caught a bit of the discussion on Mashups, Samples, Royalties and Rights: Navigating the Electronic Music Landscape, with Jules O’Riordan AKA DJ Judge Jules and Niclas Molinder and how creators need to understand the complex web of rights and royalties to ensure their contributions are properly recognised and remunerated.

I really enjoyed the Intergenerational Exchange between promoters Juan Arnau Jr (Elrow / Monegros Desert Festival) and Pino Sagliocco (Live Nation Spain). Pino was very entertaining, talking about coming to Ibiza in the late 70s and experiencing the spirit and energy of the island, especially at KU and through his friendship with Tony Pike. Already a promotor, he saw an opportunity and started bringing live acts to KU, going on to taking Queen to Spain amongst other things. Juan on the other hand learnt a lot from his father and grandfather, but both of them, although operating in different times and in different genres said that you had to do what you do with passion and keep evolving with the times.

Pino Sagliocco/Juan Arnau Jr

Over in the Brave Space there was a discussion From Party to Purpose, Music for Environmental Action in Ibiza and Beyond. This session launched EarthPercent Ibiza, the first local chapter of the global climate charity co-founded by Brian Eno, promoting a model where music gives back to the land and community, anchored around purpose, and how grassroots action can drive environmental change on the island and beyond. It was hoped that Ibiza can become a global example of how to make such changes and protect the environment.

Then it was back to the Outdoor Stage for Pete Tong’s keynote interview with Benji B, Radio 1 DJ, artist, curator and broadcaster. It was interesting to find out about his creative journey from age 16 and how Giles Peterson was a mentor and a huge influence. He also acknowledged that Pete Tong and his generation broke down the doors for us to be become DJs. He also talked about the importance of being authentic and doing what we love.

BenjiB/Pete Tong

The final session in the Indoor Stage was an Intergenerational Exchange between female artists DJ Flight and Sherelle which was really interesting. Although of different generations, they’ve both worked hard to get where they are today with DJ Flight paving the way for younger artists like Sherelle to get their breaks. But both artists were keen to support others coming through. DJ Flight closed by saying “we’ve done what we did so the next generations could run and then fly” acknowledging that all her helpers along the way have been women. It was an inspirational end to Day 2.

Sherelle/DJ Flight

Day 3

See IMS Day 3 Highlights

By Day 3 you’re starting to feel a bit tired and overwhelmed and you’re trying to process all the things you’ve been hearing over the last 2 days, so there’s a tendency to ease off the schedule a bit.

From the big screen outside, I caught a bit of the 2nd of the two sessions on Four Decades of Jungle & Drum ’N’ Bass - The MCs to the OGs to the New Breed. These genres have never gone away but are seeing new growth and interest from younger generations. With a broad demographic that spans 18-34 year olds, plus original fans now in their 30s, 40s and 50s it’s truly intergenerational and still bringing in new fans.

The MCs to the OGs

Next I made my way down to The Brave Space to hear the discussion on Femme Queer Resistance in Dance Music. Each of the panelists had forged their various career paths in a male dominated industry. There was agreement that they were supporting each other but that they also needed support from the wider community, which was especially true for trans women. Education was important, as was mentoring to share experiences with others.

Femme Queer Resistance

And then at the end of it all, it’s time to try and sum up the main messages and what you will take away from it. Maybe it’s a reflection of the sessions I chose to go to, but this year there seemed to be less talk about ‘business’. The intergenerational theme came through strongly and in a lot of the sessions I went to people were genuinely talking about respect for each other and how they were learning from each other reciprocally. There was a lot of talk about being supportive and suggestions that education and mentoring others were important ways forward. Being authentic and being passionate about what you do also came up a lot across the sessions.

Overall it was a very stimulating and thought-provoking event. We were also blessed by the gorgeous sunny and warm weather throughout, which was perfect for delegates to meet, relax in between sessions and soak up the beauty of the setting, perched above the bay and beach of Cala Llonga down below. It would have been a very different experience if we had the stormy weather we had had just a week before. The cherry on the cake of a very enjoyable 3 days with plenty of food for thought regardless of your area of interest.

Dalt Vila party

The final event of IMS is the party with DJs playing in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Dalt Vila, overlooking historic Ibiza Old Town and the Mediterranean and the port below.

This was this year’s lineup:

Luxi Villar

Girls Don’t Sync

TSHA B2B Bradley Zero

Pete Tong B2B Deer Jade

Korolova

Hugel B2B Major League DJZ

Paco Osuna.

Starting at 5pm, the DJs changed over on the hour and as evening turned into night, the sun set behind the hills, the lights on the cathedral and surroundings came on, the music and the light show from the stage gathered pace, reaching a crescendo for the techno of Paco Osuna. The setting was stunning and IMS is currently the only organisation allowed to host events like this in that space, so it’s a very special spectacle and the music and the atmosphere this year was fantastic and a great finale to the Summit.

International Music Summit is at: https://www.internationalmusicsummit.com

Dalt Vila

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